Burning Memories
by Metarex
Summary: My seventh story in my Metarex/Guardian series. Sonic and the crew have come back together as a group to face the Metarex on a new world except this time Sonic is left out of the battle because of a cold. There are some OCs and the previous stories are listed on my profile.
1. Prologue

Last time on T**_he Cold Truth_**.

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Approaching a planet of cold...

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_"We've already arrive to a planet that has chaos emerald readings." said Chris._

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...they are attacked and crash land onto the surface...

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_"Tails! Watch out!" shouted Sonic as he rushed towards him._

_"What…" began the two-tailed fox._

_The ship jolted and everyone was thrown around violently._

_"What's going on?" inquired Knuckles as he slid across the floor grappling for something._

_"We've been hit." responded Chris as he held onto a chair._

_"Kind of obvious." spoke Rogue as she tumbled around._

_"It's a Metarex ship." said Amy as she held onto a screen._

_"But how did they get behind us?" asked Cosmo's daughter as she grabbed onto another chair._

_"I'm not sure." replied the girl hedgehog._

_"Prepare for emergency landing." spoke Tails as the Blue Typhoon tumbled towards the planet._

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...and the crew is split up...

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_"Later." The hedgehog gave a wave without looking back._

_He ran off leaving a trail of melted snow and water._

_"Don't worry about us. We can take care of ourselves. Be careful out there." interrupted the boy._

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...with one group finding the inhabitants...

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_"Cool it. I can hear people." spoke the girl bat._

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...that talk of strange monsters attacking them...

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_"Who or what is Vampyria?" asked the plant girl._

_"No one is sure, but the legend is that it used to be one of us." responded the woman._

_"One of you?" Knuckles was interested now._

_"Back in the old days we used to have bat partners. We worked together to survive. Food was scarce, but out of the blue things got worse. Our climate suddenly dropped into a winter nightmare. We had no clue what to do so a youngling said he would take his bat and find the source of the problem. He never came back. Since then Vampyria appears to attack the village. It's believed that he died with his partner and their very beings fused together." replied the woman._

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...which leads them to hunt down the Metarex base...

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_"We storm the Metarex base." responded Knuckles.  
_

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...where the Metarex leader lies in wait to destroy them...

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_"Master. It appears that they have arrived." stated the Metarex as it stared at the ceiling._

_"Yes it does. Let's head to that location." agreed the Metarex leader as it headed towards the exit._

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...but they survive the darkness and treachery to look towards a better future.

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_The last words she heard him speak was: "Traitor."_

_He looked up to the ceiling knowing there had to be cameras. "Damn it. Come here yourself so I can end you permanently."_

_"I'll kill you. I'll kill you." It had become the Metarex's mantra._

_"The reason I came after you was to talk to you and stop you." Sonic glanced away. "My friends may not understand me, but I won't hurt them anymore."_

_The inhabitants laughed and danced with the Blue Typhoon's crew as bats hanged overhead._

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Here's the prologue. Please read **_The Cold Truth _**if you haven't already.


	2. Chapter 1: Greeting

Here we go. The first chapter. Please Review. I do not own anything except the plot and OC characters.

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Chapter 1: Greeting

Bubbling lava flowed over the ruins of a great city. The inhabitants had fled a long time ago though they still met their end at the claws of those you had overtaken the planet. Something surfaced from the lava and looked to the sky. It was a Metarex that was ordered to rule this burning place where only those with a great resistance to heat could survive. The Metarex was a red lizard with four dirt brown eyes. It had heard from its master that Sonic was to be arriving soon and that he should greet them.

Though it despsied the hedegehog, he would not dare disobey an order from their master especially when the Metarex had heard it from its own lips. If anyone could disregard their master's words, then they were not tru Metarex and deserved to perish. He would gladly deal the final blow on anyone who dared defied the Metarex leader. Sounds of hissing drew its attention and it spotted another one of its kind approaching with no doubt important information.

"What is it?" asked the Metarex.

"Slither. Sonic is approaching the planet as predicted. How shall we proceed?" reported the snake like Metarex.

"Have the others prepare a welcome party for them. Then wait for further orders. Now leave." said Slither.

The Metarex base leader looked back up to the sky as the Metarex did as it told and sighed. All the past Metarex had failed, but then those setbacks had been planned. Their leader was far craftier than the previous ones and no one, not even the Metarex themselves, could figure out its mind. Everything was in the palm of its hand and there was nothing anyone could do otherwise.

"I won't fail the master this time. I shall prove my power and loyalty. I vow on this body that my master has created for me." spoke the Metarex to himself.

He slipped into the lava once more and waited for the arrival of the one hated by all.

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Sneezing, Sonic sniffled as he snuggled deeper into the blanket that he had wrapped around him with a thermometer in his mouth and a cup of hot chocolate in his hands. Having traveled to a water and ice planet, he finally succumbed to the effects of visitng each world. Amy placed her hand on his head and pulled out the thermometer to check the reading displayed on it.

"You still have a small fever. Maybe you should sit this one out." said the girl hedgehog.

"But I can't sit around and wait to get better. I want to help as much…ah…as...ah…I…ah…can. ACHOO!" sneezed Sonic spraying his germs.

Fortunately, Amy had backed away in time to avoid it. "No. Just take your medicine and drink your hot chocolate. We can handle this."

The girl hedgehog handed him the cold medicine forcing him to drink it and promptly stuffed the thermometer into his mouth after he finished. She went back to her position and continued working.

"Is Sonic getting better?" questioned Starlight.

"He is slowly. He's not happy being sick, but he's trying to cope with it." replied Amy as she continued working.

"I guess he won't be well enough to fight yet then." commented Cosmo's daughter as she went back to work.

Suddenly, the alarms in the ship went off taking everyone by surprise.

"What is it?" inquired the hedgehog with the thermometer still in his mouth.

"I don't know. The scanners are picking up a chaos emerald and a whole lot of Metarex." answered Tails.

"How many?" asked Knuckles.

The two-tailed fox's response: "Almost the whole planet is covered in them."

Sonic sputtered. "That many!"

"Where's the chaos emerald?" questioned the girl hedgehog.

"It's a faint reading so we don't know where yet." replied the plant girl looking at the computer.

"Show visuals on screen." ordered Tails.

"Roger." Chris put the visuals of the planets surface.

When it was up, they couldn't believe their eyes. Some even blinked to make sure their eyes weren't decieving them. On the screen were ruins of cities and lava everywhere. There were no signs of any Metarex in sight.

"What Metarex? I don't see any." spoke the echidna.

"I don't understand. The scanners are working." said the two-tailed fox as he checked his computers.

The hedgehog continued to stare at the screen in confusion when his vision started to blur. He was thinking about how familiar this setting was and imagined two figures were approaching them. They were an eagle made out of fire and a Metarex. The Metarex had a short tail, two eyes, spikes coming out its, short arms, and sharp teeth. Both of them stared at him with their murderous red eyes and the way they looked at him startled him when he was certain it was only his imagination.

"Sonic! Sonic! Are you okay?" Amy's voice brought him back to reality.

He found himself on the floor looking up to see his friends surrounding him. His cup of hot chocolate was shattered on the floor and his thermometer was soaked in it. Sonic found himself having a hard time breathing cltuching his chest. It was probably because of the fact he still had the cold which congested his lungs.

"What…happened?" inquired the hedgehog.

"We don't know. You were staring at the screen when you collapsed." answered the boy.

Sonic rubbed his head. "My head."

"You hit your head hard when you fell." spoke Starlight.

The hedgehog struggled to get up and used Knuckles for support. The ship stared to shake violently and he fell right back down when the echidna moved away from him.

"Sonic." said the girl hedgehog as she rushed to his side.

Sonic covered his mouth as he held onto her for support. Everyone else was busy figuring out what was going on. The screen changed to reveal an eagle made out of fire and a Metarex.

"A nature creature and Metarex at 12 o'clock!" shouted Chris.

"Battle stations." ordered Tails.


	3. Chapter 2: Knowing the Enemy

Here we go. By the way, I have another side note for those who may be confused about Sonic's standing. Please Review. I do not own anything except the plot and OC characters.

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Author Note:

Sonic is back to his old self. He overcame his darkness for the time being and Dark Sonic is hibernating for now.

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Chapter 2: Knowing the Enemy

"I think I'm going to be sick." thought the hedgehog as everyone ushered to their positions.

Fortunately, he didn't throw up or anything. Instead, he sat down, leaning against the side of the ship trying to hold his sickness in though he was having difficulty doing that. The others activated the shield while firing their weapons at the enemy who avoided them, but made no attempt to fight back much to their surprise.

When they were close enough, the Metarex spoke, "We have not come to battle."

"Why should we believe you?" demanded Knuckles.

It was hard to believe that the Metarex came in peace. They were enemies. It had been decided years ago when they first met.

"Under orders from our master, we invite you to Slither's base." said the fire eagle.

No one could believe their ears. They were open to letting them land with open arms. This had to be a trap.

Cosmo's daughter, on the other hand, seemed interested in another thing that they had said. "Your master?"

"You mean the Metarex leader don't you." spoke Sonic.

"At least one of you is sensible." A pause. "Sonic doesn't seem too well."

The Metarex went onto one side of the Blue Typhoon where the hedgehog was to study him. Its sudden intrusion made Amy run over to him with her Piko Hammer raised to defend him even though they were still inside the ship and the Metarex was outside.

"That's not good. You better follow us." said the fire eagle as it flew to the other side of the ship.

The crew still didn't trust them, but with Sonic's condition, they couldn't say no. These two proved to be more agile than previous ones and could deal damage to the ship if they had wanted too. Besides, they planned on landing onto the surface anyway to find the chaos emerald they've picked up on their scanners. They let the two lead them towards the planet.

"What are your names?" asked the hedgehog.

The sudden question cut through the silence drawing everyone's attention. Why did he care about the name of their enemies? In the end, they were going to have to destroy them if they wanted to stop them.

The Metarex had to be thinking along the same lines as it responded with, "You don't need to know."

Sonic's response: "I like to know my enemies."

After moments of silence, it responded, "I'm known as Rex and my companion is called Fret."

"I get your name, but why is the bird called Fret?" questioned the plant girl pointing to the fire eagle.

Noticing the finger and name it was being referred to, Fret let out a shriek showing it didn't appreciate the tone Starlight's voice was taking on. Startled, she shifted farther away as if to get away from the nature creature in hopes of avoiding its wrath. Rex chuckled at the sight.

"Fret doesn't like staying still." replied the Metarex.

"Why are there so many Metarex and nature creatures?" The girl hedgehog covered her mouth when she saw the pointed glare the two were giving her.

Surprisingly, it wasn't Rex who spoke, but rather Fret. "Does that bother you that much? Then again you 'heroes' are supposed to fight us."

Not liking how the nature creature sounded, the girl rabbit demanded, "What's so funny?"

"Choo? Choo?" The chao was thinking the same and wanted answers.

"Everyone has a different view of the universe. So people think of you as heroes and others think of you as villains." answered the Metarex.

Tension crackled between the two groups and the situation was salvaged when the hedgehog inquired, "Did you know Venom?"

Silence fell onto Rex and Fret. Neither dare speak making the crew share glances. Who was Venom and why were they reacting this way? Better yet, why did Sonic know this Venom?

"Yes. Yes we did." said the Metarex in a whisper.

Their uneasiness didn't go unnoticed and the boy asked, "Are you afraid of something?"

"Venom was one of the very few that knew the master very well." responded the nature creature.

"Does that mean not all the Metarex and nature creatures know anything about the Metarex leader?" asked the two-tailed fox.

Fret's statement had gotten everyone curious and their ears strained to ear what it had to say.

"We only need to know things that accomplish our missions given to us. The master can't afford to waste a moment to speak with each individual. If out leader did, we would not have progressed this far in such little time." Rex had a point. Their comeback had been impressive. "Venom only knew the master because of his mission."

"What was his mission?" questioned Cosmo's daughter.

The nature creature's answer: "Only the masters know."

"You said was. Does that mean he was defeated?" inquired Amy.

"No one knows what happened to him either. We just know he was sent on a mission and wasn't heard again." responded the Metarex.

"He was destroyed." spoke the hedgehog as his vision blurred again.

His head was aching in pain and her rubbed his temples hoping it would go away, ignoring the stares he was receiving because of what he had just said. Again, Sonic had managed to dumbfound everyone into silence. It was already a shock that he knew this Venom, but he happened to know what happened to him. How did he know?

Fret asked, "How do you know?"

"I was there when he completed his mission." replied the hedgehog.

"When? Where?" demanded Rex.

If they had facial expressions, anxiety would have been clearly printed on their faces. Knowing the fate of their comrade had made them forget what the current situation was. The crew wanted to know to and stared at Sonic for the answers.

"It was on Chris's planet." The hedgehog paused to swallow while wiping off sweat that had formed on his head. "After he completed his mission, he had no reason to exist he said."

"You mean-" The nature creature dared not finish its sentence.

"Yeah. It was his first and only mission." said Sonic remembering Venom. The Metarex had been so ready to die even though its life must have been extremely short.

"How?" questioned the Metarex.

"After he completed his mission, the venom inside him destroyed him. He was content though with the fact he was useful and met the Metarex leader." answered the hedgehog.

The crew was shocked. Why would a Metarex be fine with being destroyed as long as it had done something for the Metarex leader? Who was the Metarex leader? The two outside seemed to contemplate on his words before formulating an answer.

"All Metarex and nature creatures are like that. When you destroyed the original leader, everything was thrown into chaos." began Fret.

Rex finished, "But a being rose up and created order. It was and still is our present Metarex leader."

"The master was able to turn what small decimated forces and resources that were left to rebuild the Metarex back to its former glory and further." spoke the nature creature.

That was right. During the supposed final battle, they all thought the Metarex had been completely wiped out until the arrival of the Metarex leader as it stole the Master Emerald and planet egg. It was an event no one could possibly forget.

"The master lets us do as we wish unless we were told otherwise. Most of the time, the leader doesn't give commands so we all have complete freedom to do whatever we want as long as we complete what we are supposed to." said the Metarex.

"Sounds like my kind of job." Everyone ignored Rogue and she crossed her arms. No one really cared about what he ideal job was.

A wistful look passed Fret's face – if that was possible for a fire eagle – as it spoke, "Our master is respectful and honorable beyond anyone's belief. That is why we would do anything in the leader's name."

"Looks like this conversation will have to stop." Heads turned to Rex who was looking down. "We are about to land."


	4. Chapter 3: Arrival in Enemy Territory

Now for some more intimidating parts. Please Review. I do not own anything except the plot and OC characters.

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Chapter 3: Arrival in Enemy Territory

The crew looked down to see ruins of cities destroyed by the endlessly flowing lava. As far as the eye could see, only the molten red was visible except for patches of grayish colors that represented buildings. They couldn't see a possible safe place to land. The buildings looked ready to collapse. Suddenly, a tremor shook the planet and a platform surfaced from the lava with someone standing on it. The Blue Typhoon landed on it and its engine stopped though with much hesitation. The red lizard approached the ship and stared at it as if studying it.

After a few moments of silence, it said, "Welcome. The name's Slither. I rule this domain in our leader's name."

Silence. No one really wanted to talk to the nature creature. Eyes from various places glared at them and they could tell they were not welcomed despite what their escorts had said. The awkward silence stretched between them as no one dared make a move or sound. It was broken when Sonic headed towards the exit. Shocked, the crew stared at the retreating figure before chasing after him.

Once outside, the hedgehog greeted with, "Nice to meet you."

"I would shake hands, but I would just burn you." spoke Slither as he stared at Sonic's outstretched hand.

Taking the message, he pulled it away as everyone filed behind him. The girl hedgehog wrapped her arms protectively around him as she glared daggers at the nature creature before him. She was still suspicious about the way the Metarex seemed to have an eye on him only. They could have attacked them when they were weak, but instead, they actually seemed concerned about him being healthy.

Starlight shared the same suspicion and inquired, "Why didn't you attack us?"

"We aren't the lowly beings who would strike a sickly opponent. It is his choice to come quietly or not. We shall not take advantage of your situation." responded the nature creature.

That seemed far fetched. They didn't have problem destroying worlds of innocent people. "How can we trust you?"

"Our master has made it perfectly clear that Sonic is not to be severely harmed in any way." Before Cosmo's daughter could shoot another question, he cut her off. "Attacking any of you would provoke him into fighting. Therefore, we will not battle."

That made slightly more sense. Their leader had ordered them not to kill Sonic so they wouldn't, but why? What reason did the Metarex have for not trying to destroy them? Surely they wanted to stop the very people who had stopped them once before. There was more than meets the eye.

He sank into the lava as he continued, "Follow me."

Slither began to swim away leaving the crew unsure what to do. Were they supposed to follow? There were no paths for them to take unless he expected them to join him and somehow not be burned by the lava. The two behind them nudged them forward, forcing them closer to what seemed to be their doom. When they were close to the lava, steps appeared for them to cross. The crew walked slowly after the red lizard with Rex and Fret behind them.

Other Metarex and nature creatures gazed after them with distaste. Some even begun to whisper among themselves as the group continued to walk making the group uneasy. Slither might have said they weren't going to hurt them, but it was hard to believe with the attitude they were receiving. Suddenly, Slither stopped moving and turned around causing the whole procession to stop. He let out a hiss at the other Metarex and nature creatures. It silenced them and they went back to do their own things. Now the only sound was the occasional sneeze from the hedgehog.

"Excuse me fellow Metarex and nature creatures." The nature creature looked at Sonic. "They might obey our master, but that does not keep them from not approving of you being here."

"So they do hold a grudge against me." said Sonic.

His statement caught everyone's attention. "Why would they hold a grudge?"

"It's because of the Metarex leader." Seeing Slither's reaction, he continued, "I'm right aren't I?"

"You are more knowledgeable than I thought. No matter. Enter this building." spoke the nature creature signaling to the building.

They walked slowly expecting a trap. As they progressed inward, they would nothing amiss. No one attacked them. No traps were sprung. Once the crew was inside, Slither went in after them. Rex and Fret had vanished without a trace, presumable to do what Metarex and nature creatures did on this particular planet.

"You know things we do not and we know thing you do not." said the nature creature as he blocked the door.

At the sight, Amy held onto the hedgehog as she spoke, "Your point is?"

"Do you really think we would allow you to stay here without a reason?" Everyone tensed, ready for battle when he raised a hand. "As I said once before, we do not mean you any harm. For now, we want to know what you know during your stay. In exchange, we'll tell you things we know."

The group looked to one another and bunched closer together. No one believed his words. Why would he tell them anything? If he really wanted to find out what they knew, he could have threatened or forced them to tell. What was there to tell anyway? Where things stood, none of them actually knew anything that the Metarex didn't know already. Still this was the chance to discover what the Metarex's intentions were. The recent battles had their heads turning. Finding themselves coming to one conclusion, they broke apart.

"Fine. We'll talk." said Chris.


	5. Chapter 4: Exchange

A short chapter. Please Review. I do not own anything except the plot and OC characters.

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Chapter 4: Exchange

Please to hear their answer, Slither spoke, "Good. We wouldn't want to resort to unpleasant means."

Everyone winced at the obvious hint of what he meant. He didn't need to remind them of their current situation. With so many Metarex and nature creatures nearby, it would be impossible to resist. Now they were beginning to regret landing in the first place. They should have taken their chances while still in the air even if Sonic couldn't help.

"So how are we supposed to do this?" asked the echidna.

"As long as it doesn't involve me, I'm good." That earned Rogue some glares from the other females in the group.

The nature creature didn't even bother looking her way. "Do not worry rodent. You won't be needed."

"Rodent?" Her wings flared up as she said, "Listen you overgrown lizard–"

Her words were cut off by the plant girl's hand which had crossed the distance to keep her from finishing what she was saying. The girl bat threw a look at her, but the shaking of Starlight's head was enough to keep her from doing anything. Slither didn't seem to notice or he had chosen to ignore them. Either way, his attention was solely fixed on one person.

"Only one person is needed." He pointed at Sonic. "It's you hedgehog."

A surge of panic went through the group as they converged towards him. "Wait. Why Sonic?"

"It appears that he knows things you don't. That makes negotiating information with him worthwhile. Take your medicine first." spoke the nature creature causing confusion.

Medicine? What medicine? Their question was answered when they spotted Fret and Rex slipping into the building. The fire eagle flew towards the hedgehog and dropped the bottle it carried into his hand. Uncertain, Sonic glanced back to the rest of the group. Did he really want to drink it?

"It is not poison if that is what you worry about." said Slither. "It is merely medicine I had Fret and Rex prepare to deal with the troublesome illness that plagues you."

"You didn't have to do this. You could have left me with my cold." spoke the hedgehog.

He shrugged. "True, but it would be problematic if you kept sneezing throughout the exchange of information and spread it to all of us."

Everyone's eyebrows rose. Did the nature creature actually make a joke? What was next? They were actually not the enemy and they wanted to be friends?

Sonic opened the bottle and a weird stench filled the room causing everyone to cover their noses except for the Metarex. Apparently, their sense of smell was bad or they didn't have a sense of smell. Taking a deep breath, the hedgehog chugged it down. A hot, bitter taste filled his mouth that made him want to throw up. Instead, he struggled to swallow it down despite he was choking on it. After all of it was gone, Sonic gave the bottle to Fret again. The fire eagle took it and flew down into a corner of the room.

"Are you ready?" questioned the nature creature as Rex went into another corner of the room.

Coughing, the hedgehog replied, "Yeah."

"Step forward." said Slither.

Sonic attempted to move, but Amy held on tightly. She didn't want him to go up to the Metarex. What if something happened? He smiled at her and laid a comforting hand on hers, convincing her to let go of him. The hedgehog kept going towards Slither until he was a few steps away and stopped on his command. The nature creature's eyes glowed red and they formed a red beam that struck Sonic's head.

"Sonic!" exclaimed the girl hedgehog as she ran up and was followed by the others.

"Don't." Rex blocked their path. "He's not dead. They are seeing each others' thoughts."

Amy raised her Piko hammer when Fret spoke, "He already told you that we will not harm you. This is to ensure there is no false information being passed between them."

"As if we can believe that." said Knuckles.

"Choo. Choo." spoke Cheese.

The Metarex inquired, "Do you really intend to take us all on with Sonic in this state?"

They had a point. If they fought here, the other Metarex and nature creatures would all converge on them. Protecting the hedgehog would be near impossible. It would be a death sentence. The crew looked to Sonic and could only watch helplessly from the sidelines hoping that he was going to be okay.


	6. Chapter 5: Trip Down Memory Lane

Some secrets of the Metarex are revealed. :) Please Review. I do not own anything except the plot and OC characters.

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Chapter 5: Trip Down Memory Lane

When Sonic opened his eyes, he found himself standing next to Slither. Seeing that everyone else was gone, his whole body tensed. What did the nature creature do? Had this been a trap after all?

"We're not going to battle. All we're going to do is see each other's memories." said Slither.

Light filled the room as someone entered allowing the hedgehog to really see where they were. There were various things scattered throughout the room, but what caught his attention was the crystal vat. Inside the vat was Slither. Well, not exactly. He was small. Probably still a child. When the person passed by them, Sonic realized it was the Metarex leader.

"Hello Slither." The Metarex stopped at the vat as the past Slither cracked open an eye. "That's your name from now on. I am your master. When you're fully grown, you shall meet your fellow companions."

Shifting its attention from the vat, the leader typed into the computer as data passed through the screen. The hedgehog wasn't sure how much time passed, but soon the red lizard now had the same appearance as the present Slither. The liquid in the crystal vat drained out allowing the nature creature's feet to touch the ground. His eyes blinked, adjusting to his surroundings. The moment the Metarex leader opened the vat, Slither attacked. He sank his teeth into the Metarex leader's arm and refused to let go, startling Sonic. What was going on? The Metarex simply patted the red lizard's head.

"You can bite as long as you want, but I'm really busy at the moment so I must ask you please let me go." The leader betrayed no emotion. Slither's attack didn't faze it at all.

Surprised at how calm the Metarex leader was, he let go. Scurrying back on all fours, the nature creature's eyes never left the Metarex as it got to its feet. It walked to the door, pausing only for a moment to look back.

"Are you coming? You can speak for you to know." spoke the leader as it held out its hand.

After some hesitation, Slither spoke, "Y…Ye…Yes."

Taking the outstretched hand, the red lizard allowed the Metarex leader to lead him down the hall of a Metarex ship. His legs wobbled, still unused to walking and on several occasions, they slowed down or even stopped so he could catch its breath. Along the way, he saw other people at work who stopped and bowed when they saw their master earning a simple nod in return. The Metarex stopped in front of a door and opened it as it signaled to Slither to go in. He went in and was followed by the leader. Below, an army of Metarex and nature creatures were waiting. They stared at the red lizard and the Metarex leader for orders.

"This is your new commander. You shall obey his orders while on the battlefield. There is a planet I want you to attack." A hologram of the planet appeared behind it. "It has peace loving creatures and the land itself is flourishing. The planet is a good source of crystal hearts and a planet egg. I want all the inhabitants killed and what happens after that is up to you. All I want is the planet egg and crystal hearts of the planet. Make sure you destroy anything that could ruin our plan."

Excitement shot through the crowd as they were eager for the attack. Slither was still confused and glanced to the Metarex for answers. He didn't know what he was supposed to do. The leader turned to leave, but whispered into Slither's ears before it left.

"They are all yours. The coordinates to the planet will be given to you. Don't worry or be afraid. All Metarex and nature creatures start out confuse so relax." said the Metarex leader.

The Metarex disappeared from the room leaving the nature creature by himself. He looked to the group and jumped off the high platform, landing with ease.

Strangely relaxed, he ordered, "Time to move out."

Shrieks, roars, and shouts filled the room as they prepared for battle. Excitement and pride filled Slither as they marched out of the room. He was the commander of all of them. The leader trusted him to complete the mission. A lone Metarex came crawling into Slither. It looked like a black widow and it had a message to deliver.

"Greetings Slither. I have the coordinates for you." spoke the Metarex.

"Who are you?" asked the red lizard.

Its answer: "I am Venom, an honored servant of the Metarex leader."

"What do you mean?" Weren't they all honored servants of the Metarex leader?

"You don't know. You must be recently created." It murmured that part to itself before answering, "I'll explain."

Venom made marks on the wall as it explained, "Everyone has a number to represent their status. The highest ranking officer is the Metarex leader who doesn't need a number is on the top. The other Metarex under the leader has numbers. They occasionally change because they challenge each other for number one. Then it is me and a few others after that. I believe there are only five who are given special privileges. My rank number is Beta Two."

Slither's eyes widened. "So you're my superior officer?"

"Yes and no. My rank says I'm higher than you, but we don't usually do normal tasks. Anyway, the commanders are next. There are at least 4,275 commanders that I know of. The numbers keep changing depending on the destroyed and created. I believe your rank is the lowest at the moment since you were just created. Then all the others are on the bottom. Right now there are 6,080,401,060 and counting." continued the Metarex.

"There that many troops! I wonder if it is possible for my number to go up?" thought the nature creature.

"Yes." spoke Venom surprising Slither. "Sorry, but everyone in Beta and above can tap into the minds of other Metarex and nature creatures. It's an ability we rarely use if ever."

"You must be really special." commented the red lizard.

Ignoring the comment, the Metarex, "Your level goes up it you beat another commander, but they rarely happen since the commanders don't really see each other. You better get going before you get into trouble."

Venom crawled up the floor and continued down the hall leaving Slither to watch him disappear.


	7. Chapter 6: Elemental Battle

Some people you know are going to make a short appearance. Please Review. I do not own anything except the plot and OC characters.

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Chapter 6: Elemental Battle

"This is bad. If the Metarex forces are that large, then how do we stand a chance against that? They even have powerful, mind reading ones." thought the hedgehog as the scenery shifted.

"None at all, but you knew that already." Seeing Sonic's shocked look, the red lizard continued, "Our minds are connected. No thought can be kept secret."

Their focus returned to the scene before them. It was the battle between the leader and the hedgehog in space when the Metarex leader was trying to steal the chaos emeralds from Sonic. The memory ended when the past hedgehog lost consciousness. Now it was shifting back to Slither's memory. The nature creature led his group down towards the hanger bad when giggling rang out.

"What…" started a voice.

"…Do we have here?" ended another voice.

"Who's there?" demanded Slither.

Sonic had a feeling he knew who it was. There was only one duo that he knew that sounded and talked that way. There was only one way to find out.

"You should be more respectful to your betters." sang the voices together below the red lizard.

He looked down to see two Metarex coming out of the ground. They were identical to each other which he found strange. Sure he'd seen plenty of Metarex and nature creatures that looked the same, but he had a feeling these weren't ordinary soldiers. The troops immediately saluted at them.

"We're commanders number 2,112 and 2,113. Des and Ert." said the both of them.

Slither's response: "You have unusual names."

"Insolent reptile." The twins shot lasers at him.

The red lizard was knocked down and slid across the floor before crashing into the wall. He quickly got up and threw magma at them. The twins went into the floor again to dodge it. Slither stood still and waited for them to appear. He turned around and slammed his claws into one of the twins. She hit the floor hard and didn't move. Sand and wind slammed into the nature creature sending him flying into the ceiling. This twin went to aid her fallen sister. By the time Slither landed back down, they were ready for him. The sisters held each others' hand and began to spin. Their bodies broke into different parts and were converging together. When it was over, only a huge scorpion was left.

"You can't beat us as Desert." spoke Desert.

"So that's why you have strange names." It also explained why they were identical. "They make the word Desert."

"You shall pay for your insolence." said the scorpion as she lashed out at him with her two tails.

The red lizard slipped past them and shot magma right into Desert's face. She shrieked in pain and responded with a sand tornado. He was hit and was being crushed into the wall. All the other Metarex were avoiding getting into the commanders' battle and anxiously glanced between both parties. Slither shot lava in the sand tornado. After a few moments, the sand tornado hardened into a glass tornado. It shattered with easy and the nature creature charged at the scorpion. Each was about to deal the final blow when they froze. Slowly turning their heads, they saw the leader.

"Slither I think it's time to head for the planet." Its attention swapped from Slither to Desert. "As for you Desert, return to your other forms and complete the orders I gave you before."

It turned to walk away as the two parties backed away from each other. Continuing the battle would only result the Metarex leader's wrath. Before it disappeared from the room, it stopped and turned around.

"If you wanted to know who was stronger, you could have asked me. Slither, of course, is better than you Desert. In fact, I'll give you his number. It's 1,072." spoke the Metarex.

The leader left the hanger bay leaving its servants in confusion. Did their master just say the new commander was stronger than Desert? Desert reverted back to Des and Ert. No one spoke for a moment.

"See you later Commander Slither #1,072." said the twins before disappearing into the walls like the memory was.

In front of them was when the Metarx appeared before the hedgehog who had regained consciousness from the battle. The red lizard's face hardened as they watched the unusual conversation. Sonic wondered if there was a possibility that their leader hadn't told them everything or the plan.

The hedgehog dared ask, "Slither?"

"It's nothing." It was obviously not nothing, but Sonic wasn't going to dare push his luck with the nature creature.

The scene around them shifted as Slither's memory took shape.


	8. Chapter 7: A Secret to Keep

The end of memory lane. Please Review. I do not own anything except the plot and OC characters.

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Chapter 7: A Secret to Keep

It was utter chaos. Metarex swarmed onto cities of the inhabitants of the planet they were ordered to attack. Cities sank into the lava of erupting volcanoes. Soon there were no survivors left of the dying planet. Among the ruins stood a familiar face. The red lizard carried in both hands the planet egg and a crystal heart. He waited on a platform before vanishing.

Slither reappeared before the Metarex leader in its throne. He placed them onto the floor and waited for a response. The Metarex got to its feet and stepped from its throne. Suddenly, the leader fell and Slither rushed to catch it. Though he wouldn't admit it, the hedgehog had tensed to do the same. As soon as the nature creature caught the Metarex leader, its mask came off. Slither froze at the sight of what he saw. Pushing off of him, the Metarex rose to its feet and put its mask on again.

"You…but how?" inquired the red lizard.

"I apologize for that. I must have taken you by surprise. Unlike you and your fellow Metarex, my body is…different. It has always been this way." answered the Metarex leader.

"But…" began Slither.

The Metarex cut him off saying, "Does it matter that I do not look exactly like one of you?"

"No." After some hesitation, the nature creature asked, "How did you get into a state?"

"It was during a battle before I took over as your leader." responded the leader. "You must keep this a secret. In time, I shall reveal to the Metarex my transformation so be patient."

He remained silent as the Metarex leader picked up the crystal heart and planet egg. It carried them to its throne where two platforms rose from both sides of the throne. Placing them in either one, the Metarex watched as they are encased in a sphere and went to the lower floors. Taking its seat back on the throne, the leader sighed as it leaned back. Despite not being able to see its master face, Slither could tell it was under a lot of pressure. But from what?

"Master?" spoke the red lizard.

The Metarex leader's response: "Yes?"

"You seem tired. Why don't you rest?" It was only after he said that did he regret letting the words leave his mouth.

"I can not rest." Its hands gripped the armrests and Slither could see cracks forming. "Not until the plan is completed. Rest is impossible."

"But master, you seem to be pushing yourself too hard. Perhaps slowing down the plan wouldn't hurt." His every word only seemed to make the situation worse.

Getting to its feet, the Metarex said, "I've spent three years nonstop to complete this plan. Do you know how much I've poured into this?"

The nature creature shook as he backed away from his leader. Something was wrong. The Metarex leader's attention was somewhere else. It didn't seem to realize where it was. Its mind was completely on something Slither couldn't comprehend.

"I lost things that can never be replaced. I've become like this because of him." Its hand was on the sword on its side. "It's that hedgehog's fault. If he never appeared before me, if he never appeared before the Metarex, none of this would have happened. It's his fault everything turned out this way."

"Master? Master, what are you talking about?" Seeing that nothing he was saying was getting through, the red lizard spoke, "I…I better get going."

It was a mistake that Slither came to regret. The Metarex let out a scream of fury as it drew its sword. Not knowing what was going to happen, he got down on the ground as the leader made a slashing motion. There was a breaking sound, but he didn't dare look up. He kept his head down as the Metarex leader screamed incoherent words and destroyed everything in sight.

Once things got quiet, the nature creature dared look up to see the Metarex had its back to him and seemed to have calmed down. The room was completely trashed. It was a miracle he survived. "Everything's gone. Everything's gone"

He wanted to comfort it and reached out only to stop to see someone already doing that. The being was completely covered in blades and Slither had a feeling he should stay away from it. Four other figures appeared around them and made their way to the master. Slither realized that one of them was Venom.

The red lizard couldn't believe his eyes. "Venom?"

"It's unfortunate that you had to see this happen." said Venom.

The leader's shoulders sagged as it leaned all its weight into the chair. It was as if an invisible weight was bearing down on it. There probably was given the way it had acted. Slither couldn't figure out what he exactly had set the Metarex leader, but he did know who was responsible for this violence. A certain hedgehog all the Metarex knew too well: Sonic the hedgehog.

"We better take the master now." spoke one of the nature creatures.

They all nodded and led the Metarex out of the room. He didn't know where they were going, but it was probably somewhere their leader could relax. Not all left, however. The one who had comforted the Metarex leader stayed. It waited until the group was a safe distance before turning its attention to the nature creature.

"You must be Slither. I'm Blade, Beta One." said Blade.

He tensed. This was Venom's superior. "What jut happened?"

"It sometimes happens from time to time. The master is, how should I say this, mad. Not the angry mad, but the crazy mad." It glanced in the direction they left. "From what I know, it happened because a battle our master was involved in. One of the jobs of the Beta level Metarex is to take care of our master in this state." Glaring at Slither, Blade continued, "You better not reveal this to anyone. The master has enough to deal with."

Watching the Metarex disappear, the red lizard thought, "Master."

The place became pitch-black before they were hurled into another of the hedgehog's memories. This time, however, it was one that Sonic never expected to re-experience ever again. On the cold, wet, and muddy ground, he was crying. It was pouring hard, but he didn't seem to care. There was something staining his hands as he continued to scream. Then, in an instant, they were back to the present. The hedgehog looked up to Slither to see fury burning in his eyes. The nature roared, frightening everyone in the room.

"You? You're the cause of our master's suffering? You shall pay with your lives. Metarex attack!" ordered Slither.


End file.
